Oh to potty...

So as of yesterday I start to "officially" try to potty train Elise. We had been doing some here and there... but I just hadn't fully committed to it. Over the weekend I we bought some training pants... and voila... Monday was our big day. Things aren't going to shabby... and I *think* we are making progress.

However, at one point today in my potty woes.... I thought to myself.... do NOT get discouraged.... be thankful that your not using an outhouse! I can't imagine the amount of time that would take up... always running back and forth, emptying poe's... (I have no idea how to spell that... but work with me on this...). And can you imagine flour bag underwear? - okay... so maybe some of you can... haha... My hat goes off to Granny... training 10! Ha... I'll be lucky if I get Elise trained by the time she graduates high school! Okay, so that's a slight exaggeration.

I just wanted to share my reflective moment, thinking of how much harder it was way back when... and decided to be a little more thankful for the resources I have. And thankful for indoor plumbing. Remember that next time you flush ;)

ABC's

Pictures

Miss Elise in one of her spring coats.



Isaac working on rolling.... we haven't been getting far on that lol


Papa's masterful photography skills...

In keeping with firsts...

This is the day after our night of firsts. Gwama (recently upgraded from Mama) and Papa had, what they thought, was a great idea.
They requested my permission to let Miss Elise join them for the day... sans parents and brother.
Well, I finally gave in... and much to Papa's delight, he dropped what he was doing and rushed off to our house - how he managed to evade the cops we will never know.
Elise was very excited... though I don't think she was as excited as Gwama and Papa were.
Mommy, on the other hand, has to learn to let go. It seemed so quite without my girl... but she did have a great time :)

This pic was taken just before she left...

Isaac Laughing... He's one happy boy!

Here is a little video of Isaac cracking up at the supper time last night. Sorry for the back videography.... I was taking it... and holding him at the same time. Can you guess what he was laughing at?

Old MacDonald...

Here's a little ditty I wrote.... it goes to the tune of Old MacDonald:

Diane Dunbrack has a house,
EIEIO
And in her house she has a girl.
EIEIO
She pee pee's here, and she pee pee's there,
Here a pee, there a pee,
Everywhere but on the potty...
Diane Dunbrack has a house (that is now full of pee)....
EIEIOOOO!!!

Encore anyone?

A night of Firsts

So tonight was a big night of Firsts. We went to Boston Pizza for supper (Thanks Aunt Iris and Uncle Elymer!). It was the first time that we've taken Isaac out... because of his colic we don't usually stray far from home in the evenings. But it seems his colic has been getting better, and yesterday was a particularly good day. So, off we went, with ideas of bandera bread and pizza and pasta dancing in our minds. Once there, we decided to go for a booth so that Isaac's seat would fit in with us (he was still sleeping at this point). But detting a booth also means that Elise got to sit in a booster seat for the first time... meaning there was nothing to hold her down.... she did EXCELLENT!! Another first is that she got to use the colours and colouring mat - previously not allowed due to the eating of crayons... when my girl is hungry she means business! - anyway, that was a source of much fun. She also ordered off of the kids menu - normally she would just eat some of ours - so she got a pizza with pepperoni, french fries (can't pass up the chance to have ketchup!), her own special cup with a special straw and to top off the meal, a giant chocolate chip cookie! (I know supper of champions... but it was a treat!)

Keeping in line with firsts, it was also the first time I've had to nurse in a restaurant... and if you haven't tried eating spaghetti with your wrong hand, then I suggest you try it! :)

This is a picture of miss Elise and her big cookie, once we got home.



Sharing her big cookie with Daddy...



Our happy little man....



This pic has nothing to do with last night.... but I thought it was cute.

These are a few pics of Miss Elise when she was still feeling sick... but cute none the less.

Talking on the phone to Uncle Brian... and enjoying a most delicious cracker.



It's funny... I don't think this picture even looks like her.... maybe it's the messy hair.



She was waving to Isaac here... and as you can see, she isn't feeling too good.



Barking at the dogs outside....



Watching for daddy to come home.

Isaac's 3 month pictures

Mid wink

Isaac Laughing

Some Pictures from today....

Here are some pics we took today... they were too cute not to share!











I love that smile!!!

Anyone up for a pint?

Love my Moby...

So, on this particular night, Elise was running around like a little terror (this is pre-sick) and Isaac was SCREAMING... and wouldn't stop unless I was holding him.... minor problem was that I was in the middle of cooking.
Choices:
• Let him scream (which also results in Elise screaming) and finish supper.
• Hold him and to H-E-double hockey sticks with supper.
• Put Isaac in my Moby wrap so he will quiet down, Elise can then play, and I can make supper.... and piggie WILL jump over the stile and I will get home tonight.

Needless to say, the wrap saved the day! Here is how I managed to cook supper:

Update Update

Hello avid reader(s) - the (s) is for those of you who read, but never comment... so we don't know that you read ha ha - it's been a while since I've updated anything. The reason you might ask? Miss Elise has been sick, and if I'm not feeding Isaac, then I'm holding her. They are, for the moment, both napping.... so I'm going to get in as much as I can.

We had a dr appointment on Friday the 13th for Isaac's 3 month check up and for Elise's ear (which also turned into her throat). First for Elise.... She freaked. No surprise there as our previous dr wasn't overly friendly with kids and she was also the one who gave the shots... now Elise is terrified of dr's. In the end we found out that one of her ears is still blocked, so we have to continue with drops in her ears - this experiece deserves a whole seperate blog post. We also got her measured... she is 33 3/4"... didn't get her weight though... as I had mentioned... she was freaking out.

Now for Isaac, he did GREAT... hardly a peep until it was time for him to eat LOL. Are you ready for his stats?!

WEIGHT - 15 lbs 14 oz
HEIGHT - 24 3/4"

Elise weighed 11 lbs 8 oz at 3 months... quite the difference!

Hmmm.... I know there have been other things going on..... but I could be too tired to remember them at the moment. Did I mention that Elise was up.... hmmm.... 1,2,3,4,5? maybe 6 times last night? Poor girl... she was running a fever again, and her throat is so sore. If I wasn't up with her, then I was up feeding Isaac.... they are a great tag team! Oh woe is me.... HAHAHA I'm trying to enjoy every second of it!

Partners in Crime

It had been some time since the Boogie Buster had shown his face around the house. He had to plan... he had to pick the perfect timing. For he knew Miss Elise would be keeping her eyes peeled for his return.
He saw his chance... Mr Isaac's boogies were plaguing him, and he could sit back no longer. He put on his ninja suit, and quickly moved in to do his important work.
Things were going well... there was no screaming, and no sign of Miss Elise. He was done... and there were no problems. Just as he was about to call it a day... he seen one more boogie. He looked around.... there was no sign of Miss Elise... should he risk one more?
He thought so.
He was wrong.
Just as he was finishing Miss Elise came to Mommy's side and seen him... Mommy did her best to hide him... but alas, Miss Elise had him in her grasp.
It gets a bit fuzzy here.
It was dark in her grasp, and she wasn't gentle.... the was a lot of "whooshing" as the wind blew by. She was running... and Mommy wasn't able to catch her in time before the Boogie Buster was so forcefully thrown under the couch.
Will the Boogie Buster live to return another day? We will have to see.... depends on if Daddy can manage to retrieve him in secret.

While waiting for his retrieval, the Boogie Buster conspires with Temp Taker. Temp Taker cannot believe the Boogie Busters unfortunate peril, and vows to avenge him. He sees the perfect chance when Miss Elise comes down with a fever. Temp Taker comes out and forces Miss Elise to hold him under her arm. She is furious at this, and squirms and wiggles and squeals as Temp Taker continues to do his work and beep. Alas, Temp Taker triumphs! He gives his final triple beep and its over. Miss Elise's temperature has been taken. Mommy swiftly puts Temp Taker away before the same fate can be exacted upon him.
Temp Taker is happy he was able to do his job, and do it well.
He still thinks of Boogie Buster and hopes nothing but the best for him. Will he ever return?
Stay Tuned.

Princess Cheese and Prince Pickles - I don't know why pickles... just thought it well with cheese.. crackers was unfortunately missing this morning.



Isaac having some tummy time last night... he wasn't completely opposed to the idea... we were working on our rolling skills.... so far, not so good.... but check out that drool, sweet eh?



Miss Elise from today... she was shopping for cheese balls and books. She was aksing "meow's" (a.k.a. Osiris) if he wanted anything from the store... LOL

Jammin' with Papa

This is an old picture... it's from November 08, but I thought it was cute. She loves to jam with Papa!

What's new...

So... what's new in our world? I'm sure you're dying to know... its been, what... 2 days? ha ha.

I picked up Miss Elise's antibiotics on Friday afternoon (thank you mom for coming... not sure I was up for another outing!). She is NOT a fan of that disgusting banana medicine... can't say as though I blame her (not everyone can drink that stuff like Uncle Brian). So we have a routine for taking it. First she gets to shake it, then she has to take it. After which she gets to call Papa - not a bad reward for taking that yucky stuff. It nearly makes me sick just to get it ready to give to her... I'm gagging just thinking about it

Tonight I had to put mineral oil drops in her ears... (thanks for the tips mom!) didn't go too badly, though I know she wasn't a fan. But then, who would be? I guess it really tickled, because she kept asking for a drink afterwards - are you following my logic? If not.... here goes.... when you're ear drum/canal tickles, it often makes your throat kind of ticklish/itchy.... we try to solve this by using our tongue to scratch it, or by having a drink. This is my logic. It's probably wrong, but I'm sticking with it for now. LOL

Not sure why I'm still up.... I'm dead tired... everyone else is asleep, and I'm up. Hmmm... I'm blaming it on Mikey.... we're playing scrabble, or "Lexulous" as the cool kids call it these days.

Janice, I got your gifts! Thank you SO much! I'll post a pic of Isaac in the outfit soon... it's adorable :)

Mr Isaac having his Mommy time... he was all smiles until I brought out the camera.



Come on already with that flashy thing Mom... geeezzzz....


I love his toes... lol



Any cuter and Brian would call me Hannibal Lecter.

And this is Miss Elise enjoying her new rocking horse from Mama... although Papa is taking the credit ;)

Mommy's Little Helper

Elise was "helping" me while I was changing Isaac (and not a good change I might add.... I'm talking poo to the shoulders kind of change)... anyway... she emptied the hamper into the fish tank (Mike's friend had borrowed it and just dropped it back off), and added some of the clean folded clothes that were in the basket, then topped it off with some of the clothes that needed to be packed away. She also stuffed half of that stuff into the bottom drawer of his change table (not visible in the picture). Please also notice the smattering of books... a work of art I tell you.

If anyone else would like some extra help around the house please r.s.v.p. as soon as possible, we are getting pretty booked up.

Who spilled the milk?

No Mommy, I don't know who spilled the milk. I didn't see anything.... I was just eating my cereal. Maybe it was Igees...?

The Dr's Office; Episode 2

PROLOGUE:
Yesterday Miss Elise was acting a little strange. By evening it was clear that something was really wrong.... the rubbing of the ear made Mommy very concerned.


Fast forward to today:
This morning Elise is still acting off. We get up and get dressed have breakfast... get ready for our day. Then Mommy calls the Dr to see if we can get an appointment for this afternoon (when Mama would be here to help). No such luck. They did say they could fit us in if we could make it there in 15 minutes. Mommy takes a DEEP BREATH and says, "sure, no problem!".
We throw on our coats and hats, get Isaac in his carseat, and off we fly to the dr's office. We actually FIND a parking space - now that is a novel idea - and Mommy puts on her super human strength cape and carry's Isaac (in his seat) and Elise up 3 flights of stairs in record time (this is about 42 lbs). We make it up in one piece with no major catastrophies. Sign in... get settled and are called in right way. It's a 3 Little Piggies wait (the extended version). Dr comes and checks out Miss Elise's ears (much to her dismay). Mommy's fears are confirmed. Elise has an ear infection. As the Dr is writing a prescription, Mr Isaac insists that it is time to eat - NOW. So with a whimpering Elise and a wailing Isaac, we make our way back to the waiting area - we were VERY inconspicuous. Feed Isaac (and get a dirty look from some old guy... at this point he's lucky I didn't tell him where to go lol), Elise pulls every single card out of my little credit card book.... it was great. Once we have Isaac settled we make a follow up appointment for Elise for next week. Super. Now we get to get bundled up again, and I get to put on my super human strength cape and back down the 3 flights of stairs (who needs a gym?!). Back to the van, where Isaac begins to scream again.... and all I can think is "Dear God, please let us just get home."

At long last we get home, and world returns to its normal state. *sigh* I still think I need a nap.

Stay tuned for the next episode of The Dr's Office, coming next Friday.

So what's Miss Elise & Mr Isaac been up too?

Miss Elise has learned some new things.... she can climb onto the couch - BY HERSELF - now... mind you, she still says "Mommy. Help!" and prefers for me to help her (all I do is hold her hand... not much of a help lol). She has recently learned Mommy and Daddy's names. Now when she wakes up she calls "Daddy? Daaaaa-deeeeee! Michael?" and finishes it off with a whispered "Dunbrack." LOL
This morning Elise woke up asking for Mama and Papa.... Mama was here two days in a row. Yesterday she was learning Mama and Papa's names... still have a bit of work to do there. She still insists that her brothers name is "Igees".
She is still obsessed with Froggy... but then, who isn't?!

Mr Isaac is doing well... some days "weller" than others LOL We *hope* that we are turning a corner in the land of colic. It's high on my wish list.
He has found his hands... and not just to chew/suck on... he actually stares at them now... and then smiles... guess he thinks he's got them all figured out now.
We think he's got some of Mom and Papa (okay... that sounds confusing... I mean Gilda and Isaac) in him... he doesn't like to go to sleep. He's nosey and doesn't want to miss out on anything! But for the most part he is a very happy little boy. He is always smiling and laughing now. I love it.

Okay... perhaps I should be doing some cleaning instead on being on the computer... you know, before the board of health comes to shut me down ;)

OK, sooooo....haven't been on here in a while, but here goes. So, Di hands poopie-pants over to me and I frantically look for a washroom, cahnge area....power washer?!??? Instead, I find an optometrist's office. Hey, when it smells this bad ANYTHING will do. SO we go in there, elise with her borrowed toy, with dad holding his little man. I put Isaac down ( on burber carpet mind you) and inspect the damage. Changing his diaper turns into changing his ENTIRE outfit due to the immensity of the ordeal. Times like this make me think of peaceful things like sunsets, a warm summer breeze or a cool drink on a hot day, then isaac starts whaling and I come back to reality. He screams (i scream, we all scream for...never mind) through the entire changing while, we leave the office, strap him in his seat, put elise's coat and hat on AND head outside. I put them in the back and give elise her favorite snack -cheese balls!!! Then I bolt around the other side of the van (kind of like in the cartoons when they start running, but only their legs spin and they dont go anywhere...)to start driving and try to calm little isaac down. After the cheese on elises fingers got about 2 inches thick, and I had found new ways of making people dizzy, watching me drive by them over, and over ( i had driven the same few blocks about a dozen times) our little man finally gave in.....All in all I still feel blessed. The whole time Elise was such a good girl. An angel really.

A visit to the Eye Dr.....

Today was my eye exam... so Mike had booked the day off to be able come with me (can you imagine me bringing Elise and Isaac into the exam with me? I guess it would make things interesting.....). Anyway, we get there early and I nurse Isaac to make sure that he isn't screaming in hunger while I'm in there. I just finish nursing him and start to burp him when I get called in for my appointment - cue dramatic music here - she calls me in, and before I can pass him over to Mike... I hear it... and I know that its NOT good! I politely ask the lady if there is somewhere to change the baby or if we will have to do it in the van? She directs us to an empty office that is seldom used.... I had Isaac over to Mike, get Elise out of the play area, and off goes Super Dad to change a VERY shitty (can I say that?) maybe I should just say poopy diaper... perhaps Daddy can pick up here... must go feed Isaac.

A Visit with Mama & Papa....

So yesterday we went to Mama's & Papa's for the day.... we had a great time!

Isaac awoke just after our arrival... looking cute as ever... but wondering where in the world his food went.



In the afternoon it was time for Miss Elise's tea party (a.k.a. I want some chips/cake/some sort of treat....ooooo....maybe cheese balls!)



The smile says it all.... those were GREAT chips!



After a most delicious supper, courtesy of Mom & Dad.... and it was SO good.... an Eye-of-the-Round Roast and a Pork roast with potatoes and carrots... oh and the dessert! Apple Brown Betty.... mmmmm.... did I mention Elise's favourite? Right... pickles and bread with butter (okay, mostly just butter.... the bread is just the handle)... but I digress...
After supper Miss Elise had a bath with a TON of bubbles... she had a blast with Mama and the bath (although Mama ended up a little damp too lol)
(Pictures of bath time are restricted)

Isaac was hanging with Papa during bath time....



I'm not sure what was so funny.... but Isaac and Papa were having a good laugh.





Where's my Mommy? I'm starving!!! And I'm tired! hmph!
Talk about pulling out the "Daddy lip" (or in this case the "Papa lip").



See you next week Mama & Papa!